How to adopt in South Africa

Are you thinking about adopting a child in South Africa but aren’t sure where to begin? If so, this step by step guide is for you. The content comes both from research, and our own experience (my husband and I adopted a little girl a few years ago).

Step 1: Decide to adopt

Sounds a little obvious doesn’t it, but you may be surprised at how many people embark on this process without being convinced about their decision or in agreement about if they want to go ahead. And unfortunately, it is often clear that only one party is driving the process. Social workers are both astute and busy—they know that it will not be worthwhile for anyone if they proceed when one or both of you is ambivalent. So, if you are in a relationship, try not to set up your first meeting until you are both certain that you want to adopt. If you do go ahead prematurely, don’t be surprised if the social worker asks you to go away and have a rethink.

Top tip

Dr Phil, the great relationship guru and life coach, says that in relationships important decisions (such as the decision to have or adopt a child) takes two “yeses” or one “no”. This is a huge life choice and if you are in partnership, both of you need to be committed before you proceed.

Step 2: Choose a social worker / agency

In modern times, when we have access to so many other people through the internet and social media, people seem increasingly inclined to try to find their own babies / adoptive parents. Films like Juno unfortunately feed the perception that you as an adoptive mum can simply advertise for a baby (or that you as a biological mom can ask for prospective parents). It may work in other countries but recently a pregnant woman in South Africa risked arrest by advertising on Gumtree for parents for her baby, at a price. Her mistake was requesting compensation and trying to bypass the systems that the Government has put place to prevent shocking acts like trafficking.

Like it or not, even if you have a prior relationship with the biological mom and the two of you have agreed that you can have her baby, you cannot adopt without the assistance of a social worker. So, given that a social worker is integral to the process, it is essential that you choose the right one.

Be sure that you think about the following before you choose your social worker / agency:

Are you compatible with the social worker? Is this someone that you can talk to, be honest with, and entrust your future to? Remember that the social worker is going to help you to choose your child so please make sure that this is someone that you can trust.

Can you afford the costs (if any) associated with adopting through this agency? Make sure that you know the fee structure and what the likely cost is going to be.

Can you comply with the agency’s policies? The law in South Africa is very permissive regarding who can adopt. There are no restrictions based on gender, marital status, finances, religion or sexual proclivity and although a minimum age is specified (you have to be over 18), there is no upper age limit. But, despite this, most agencies have policies in place specifying which adoptive parents they are most happy to work with.

Over time I have encountered agencies that:

Set age limits for adoptive parents

Require married couples to have been married for a certain period of time before they adopt

Or (in the case of the agency we used) only handle the adoption of black South African children.

For the most part, these policies are only used as a way to manage the agency’s case load and resource allocation but they may be an indication that it is not the right agency for your family. If so, remember that there are many others to choose from–it may be best to look for one that is more compatible.

Where possible, try to get a personal recommendation before you choose a social worker. But do remember that everyone is different and you may not gel with a particular social worker even though your sister / friend or colleague did.

Try not to agency hop. Social workers will ask you if you have worked with any other agencies prior to coming to them and if so, why? If this has happened often, it may raise red flags for the social workers.

Step 3: Complete the screening process

Note that the screening may seem quite daunting but please don’t be put off— although time consuming, these tasks are relatively easy to accomplish. The process may vary between agencies but the following are some of the key tasks that you will probably need to complete:

A qualifying interview with your social worker

A police clearance

A medical including blood tests and a chest x-ray

A psychological assessment

A summary of your finances

A clearance from the National Child Protection Register

A clearance from the National Register of Sexual Offenders

A marriage assessment (if you have a partner)

References (usually three per partner)

A group session

A home visit from your social worker

A family profile detailing each member of the family (without including identifying features such as where you live). This is given to biological mums who would like to choose their child’s adoptive family. If the biological mom doesn’t want to choose a family or if the child is abandoned, the profile is used by social workers to match families to eligible children.

If everything is in order, your social worker will let you know that you are eligible for adoption and will list you on the national adoption database (RACAP) and start looking for a child for you.

Top tips:

The screening process will move as quickly as you want it to. It is unlikely that your overworked social worker will drive the process for you. The agency will however do their best to make it move quickly if they see that you are committed.

Some of these tasks (such as the medical, the police clearance and the psychological assessment) involve expense. Be sure to include these costs in your budget before you begin.

Social workers are open to you stating what if any preferences you have regarding your child (including age, gender, health, race and whether the child is abandoned or has been given up for adoption consensually). Be specific but realistic (for example, if you are an older couple with existing children who want a white new-born baby, you are unlikely to be successful). And, please note that some criteria will make it very hard for the social worker to find the right child for you so you will probably end up waiting longer for a match.

Be honest. Social workers are hard to shock and genuinely committed to seeing you adopt if you are eligible. However, lying or consistently giving the “correct” response may raise red flags about what you are trying to hide. This may make them question your suitability as adoptive parents.

Don’t moan about how intensive and time consuming the process is—it’s both discouraging and an exercise in futility. Social workers have a duty to protect the best interests of each child so they need to vet you thoroughly before they allow you to adopt (and they take that duty very seriously). One day, when you look into your child’s eyes, you will be grateful that they didn’t allow him or her to be placed with just anyone.

Step 4: Wait for a child

This is often the hardest part of the process because after a period of heightened activity, everything goes quiet for a bit and it may appear that not much is happening. Nothing could be further from the truth though. While you are waiting, your social worker is busy looking for suitable candidates and your child’s social worker (they are usually not the same person) is ensuring that s/he is eligible for adoption when the match is finally made. Please note that in some countries, social workers will present prospective candidates with a series of profiles and they will be allowed to select a child from the profiles. However, this is not common in South Africa where social workers prefer to present you with only one child. In cases where the biological mom wants to select the adoptive parents, she will be given a series of profiles of adoptive families, and will choose a profile.

Step 5: Meet your child

This step usually begins with the social worker notifying you that they have a child for you. You will meet with the social worker who will brief you about the child’s history and profile, and ask you to decide if you would like to proceed or not. If you are happy to go ahead, the social worker will organise for you to meet your child. Places of Safety vary in how they handle these meetings. Ours required us to visit our daughter for three days before taking her home. During our visitations, we were allowed to feed her, bath her, change her nappies and put her down for a nap. While everyone is understandably anxious to take their child home as soon as possible, this “courtship time” is essential for effective attachment, and if the child is struggling to bond or is particularly anxious, homecoming may be delayed. When we took our daughter home, the Place of Safety sent her home with clothes, a teddy and a couple of blankets to help with her transition to a new location. When you take your child home, the Place of Safety will provide you the necessary paperwork to authorise you to keep the child in your home until such time as the legalities have been finalised.

Step 6: Complete the legalities

The final step is to complete the legalities through the Children’s Court. This involves the following:

The social workers submit all of the documentation to the court.

Adoptive parents sign papers to effect the child’s change of name.

The court grants the adoption order and changes the child’s surname to that of the adoptive parents.

The order is sent to the National Adoption register to be registered.

The child becomes the legal child of the adoptive parents (as if s/he were born to them) and has all of the same rights as a biological child.

Once all of the above legalities are complete, the adoptive parents can apply for a new birth certificate (using the child’s new surname and if required, new first name).

In conclusion

Stated like this, the process may seem long and intimidating for those about to embark on it. But take it from one who has been there, when I walk into my daughter’s room and see her asleep in her bed, I can honestly say that the sacrifice of time, effort, money and stress was incredibly small in comparison to the joy of having her in our lives.

A footnote: three important clarifications:

Some agencies may apply this process in different ways – contact a social worker specialising in adoption if you need clarification or more information.

This process applies to South African citizens or permanent residents. If you are a foreigner wanting to adopt a South African child, please refer to the South African Government Services website for the correct process and to see if your country has a treaty with South Africa for you to adopt a South African child.

South Africa is predominantly a sending nation. In other words, while people from other countries can (under some circumstances) adopt South African children, as a South African citizen living in this country you cannot adopt a child from outside of South Africa.

335 Comments

06 May, 2015

Posted by Uma

I’m excited about this. As more and more Christians embrace the call to adopt, the need for decidedly Biblical resources and counsel simply explodes! Thanks for featuring this new resource.

Hi Jenny, delighted to hear that you and your husband want to adopt. Adopting a white baby may be a hard road (it can take a long time depending on if you need to wait for an agency to find a child or if you are able to find someone yourself who wants to place her child for adoption). My simple request to you would be that while staying true to your heart, you keep open to any child that God may desire for you. All the best, I will be praying that you get the desires of your heart.

It is possible Chantal, it is just a lot longer because there are fewer white children available. If you would like to know more, contact Procare or ABBA, they both have lists for white babies. All the best.

Hi. I am a 29 Year old white female. My husband a 30 year old white male. Both have good jobs. I have had 1 still born child and 2 miscarriages my husband and I due to medical reasons cannot have any more children. We have 1 beautiful little girl who is almost 4. We have research and prayed about our decision for 2 years and we are very serious about adoption. We would like to adopt a white baby boy or girl upto 1 year. My mother was part of the Catholic woman’s league foster parents. So I do have a foster care background. Please could someone assist us with an adoption. God bless. Danielle

Hi Danielle, I am truly sorry for your losses, how traumatic. As you may have gathered from reading my blogs, adopting a white child is very difficult in South Africa (simply because of demographics and because there are so few children available). I believe however that Procare do handle white same race adoptions and they may be able to help. The Catholic Woman’s League also has an excellent adoption service and given your history it may be worth contacting them too. My suggestion is that if you are on social media, you join one of the excellent adoption facebook groups, like “Passionate about adoption” and find out the best options in terms of social workers and agencies in your geographical area. Alternatively, please let me know where you are based in South Africa and I will ask for options on your behalf.

Adoption is a wonderful blessing, I hope that it will all work out for you.

Thanks for your personal marvelous posting! I truly enjoyed reading it,
you could be a great author. I will always bookmark your blog and will come back later in life.
I want to encourage you continue your great job, have a nice
weekend!

Congratulations Augustine and thank you for your question. This is probably a question that you should put to your embassy or Home Affairs. They will let you know what documentation you would need for your adopted child to be accepted into the country and if there is an age cut off for your child to come to South Africa on your work visa. All the best with your process.

An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on this.
And he actually ordered me lunch due to the fact that I stumbled
upon it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this….

Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to discuss this issue here on your internet site.

Me and my husband have bin tryin for a child since 2005 bt we caant due to health issues.we have the passion to adopt a child in South Africa we are from Botswana. What are the procedures. Thank you stay blessed

Hi Constance, in order to adopt in South Africa, you need to be South African citizens or permanent residents. If you have permanent residency, you need to contact a local social worker or agency and go through the screening process. Please let me know if you want help finding the right one, I am happy to put you in touch. Every blessing with this wonderful journey, I pray that you will find the child intended for you.

Hi me and my husband we are the black African from Limpopo we are interested in adoption. we are married for 10 years with no child we are both working having our own home at Limpopo we would like the agency to help us. how to begin with the process of adoptions where to start. I am at the age of 35yrs and my husband is 41yrs.Help us to find the good and accurate social worker.

Hi Mandla, the law states that you have to be over 18 to adopt but some agencies do prefer you to be over 23 or over 25. It may be worth seeing what agencies in your area would prefer (if you let me know what province you are in, I can put you in touch with some agencies so you can find out). Either way, if you are committed to adoption, it could happen soon :). All the best with your journey, please keep us updated.

Hi Lee, thanks for getting in touch. There are mixed race and coloured babies available but you may need to wait a little bit longer for one because there are not that many in the system. Your first step is to get in touch with a good adoption social worker or agency and get screened and onto their list. Please let me know if you need any help finding the right agency, I am happy to help :). Take care and hope everything goes well for you, adoption is a wonderful gift to everyone involved. Please keep us posted.

Good afternoon. Me and my husband would like to adopt a baby or chhild not older than 3years of age. Financially we are able to provide a child with a good education and security but most of all with a lot of love and care. I have two children of my own but cannot have any more children. My husband does not have any children of his own.
How can we be assisted

Hello Mariana, your first step is to find a social worker who can help. Please let me know if you need assistance with this or visit http://www.adoption.org.za to look at a list of social workers in your area. I wish you all of the best with this wonderful journey–please let me know if I can assist further.

I will not publish your phone number in such a public forum but if you would like to give your baby up for adoption, I think that is wonderful. Please let me know where you are based geographically and I will put you in touch with a social worker who can help. All the best!

Am a single mom 45 years. I have two kids boy 27 married, a girl 14yrs still at school. I love kids, having a permanent job in government. Looking for adoption of a girl from 1_3 years. Am a born again christian with a home in safe place. Mpumalanga province , Ermelo

That is wonderful Shelia. Your first step is to find a social worker who can help. You can look on http://www.adoption.org.za or join a social media group such as “Passionate about Adoption” or “Adopt and Foster SA”. Alternatively, let me know if you would like me to put you in touch with a social worker who can help you. I hope that you proceed and get the assistance you need, there are so many children that need loving moms.

Can I adopt a child from West Africa if the child is in South Africa with his/ her parents?and me I’m a south African .2. Is it the social workers who choose the child for you? 3. Can I adopt a child I know?

Hi Nandipa, you can adopt a child that you know provided that the biological parents are willing to sign consent and do not change their minds during the 60 day “cooling off period”. I know that some people have had difficulties adopting children that are not South African though. I suggest that you contact an adoption social worker or an attorney specialising in family law before proceeding. Their role is to ensure that the adoption proceeds according to the law and that the needs of all parties are upheld. If you need the name of a social worker, please see http://www.adoption.org.za or let me know where you are located and I will try to put you in touch with the right person. Hope that everything goes well.

I am so excited to hear that! I hope that you get the assistance you need on this site. If not, please let me know and I will do my best to put you in touch with a social worker who can help you further.

Hi how are you? I would like to know if you could send me some information of non-profit adoption agents in pretoria I am looking to a adopt a new born I am 28 and in a stable relastionship, not yet married but been together 6years, and living together.

Hi Shelley, happy to help. Procare and ABBA adoptions have branches in Pretoria. You could also try Elke Day (Adopticare) or Lettie Van Den Berg. One quick consideration which is that for the most part, you will not be able to adopt a newborn. Biological moms have 60 days to change their mind about placing their child for adoption so social workers are usually reluctant to place children during that time because of the potential pain and loss involved for the adoptive family. Babies often go to kanga moms for those first two months and are then placed with adoptive families thereafter. Let me know if you want to talk further. All the best 🙂 .

What an awesome read! This has been so helpful as my husband and I have decided to adopt after finding out I cannot conceive. I am very interested to find out the costs involved – I know that they vary from agency to agency, but we would love some basic idea of costs so we can budget and save. We have researched on the internet but it seems everyone is reluctant to give figures. I know adopting is not about the cost, but we want to make sure that we have all the funds necessary before embarking on the journey and realising we cannot afford it – that would be heartbreaking! Any advice would be helpful 🙂

Lovely to be in touch Karley and glad to hear that the article helped. The adoption process typically costs between R2000 and R20 000 depending on which agency / social worker you use (fees are governed by legislation but depend on if the agency is government subsidised or not and your own earnings–they usually adjust fees based on your earnings). There are some (generally unsubsidised) agencies that charge more but they state fees up front so if cost is an issue, you should ask these questions from the outset. If you let me know your geographic area, I can put you in touch with some agencies. Otherwise, if you are on social media, you can join one of the excellent support groups such as “Passionate about Adoption”. The people in these groups are more than willing to provide guidance and advice. Or feel free to mail me directly. Take care and all of the very best with this wonderful journey!

Hi Robyn
Thank you so much for a great post.
What chance does a single person have of a successful adoption of a 0-1 year old (or any age to be honest ). I’m 29 and always wanted my first child to be an adopted child and if I am to be blessed with marriage and perhaps more children that would be a bonus.

Such a pleasure Lihle. Every chance, agencies do not discriminate against single people at all and in fact, single women are the biggest category of adopters in this country. Let me know if you would like me to connect you to a social worker / agency and if so, where you are based geographically. I hope it goes well 🙂

Hi Robyn, I am a 36 year old white woman with kidney failure and was advised by my doctor that my kidneys will not survive a pregnancy and I would not be able to carry a baby to term. Me and my husband would like to adopt a white baby. We are very serious about adopting and haven’t taken this decision lightly. Please could you assist us with an adoption. God bless.

Hi Adelle, I am so sorry to hear about your illness. I suggest having a chat to a social worker about your chances of success. My two biggest concerns are that you may fail a medical which would make it hard for you to adopt and that the waiting lists for white babies are very long. Please contact Procare or ABBA adoptions and they can help you further. I really hope that you are able to adopt, it is a precious precious gift. Please keep me updated and God bless you too.

We have placed our app with a registered private social worker/agency. That was 4 years ago. Our criteria indian/white ; indian/coloured ; coloured/white or coloured. Why would this search take so long? Does our agency have the liberty to do a national search?
I understand the shortage of Indian/White, but what about the latter 2 and yet there unwanted pregnancies almost everyday.

Hi Rodrique, my apologies for the delay in replying, this is a very complicated issue. Yes social workers can search nationally but I am told that there is a dearth of mixed race children and coloured children are always placed with coloured families first. I suggest an honest discussion with your social worker to ask for reasons for the delay and some thoughts about when you may be successful. Failing that you may need to re-evaluate the choice of agency (although there are no guarantees that another agency will be more successful). The only other option then would be to rethink your criteria for your child. Sorry to not be more help, I sincerely hope that you get your baby though.

I have enjoyed reading your experiences and advices about the process of adoption. I am a single mother with one child and I have been thinking about adopting a baby boy who will be my second baby and after that I will have my last born on my own.

My wish is to have 3 babies and the second born should be an adopted one. I want to start with the process as soon as am done with my research about this.

I love children so much and make me smile and my first born i amazing and I can’t wait to have my second one in our home.

Oh my goodness Charlie, I am so sorry that I didn’t get back to you on this. I hope that you have found someone but if not, the closest social worker I have been able to find is in PE. She is Linda van Zyl and you can contact her at lindavzyl@hotmail.com or (T) 041 364 1637. All the best!

I’m a resident of Botswana citizen of Zimbabwe is it possible for me to adopt in southafrica my husband is an Indian so they is no mixed race kids in Botswana tat is why I’m inquiring in south thanks will wait for your respond.

Hi Sakhile, I believe that you have to be a citizen or permanent resident here in South Africa to adopt a South African child or belong to a country with an adoption treaty with South Africa which unfortunately, I don’t think either Botswana or Zimbabwe have. And you may also find it equally difficult to adopt a mixed race baby here. For that reason, maybe the best option is to speak to a local social worker and ask for some direction, you may be surprised and there may very well be options in your own country that you weren’t aware of. Sorry not to be able to help more but I wish you all of the best with this journey.

Hi me and my husband are strugeling to have kids of our own ……we really want to adopt a white baby it can be a boy or a girl even both we have so mutch love to chere hope you can help us god bless you all…….

Hi Juanita, sorry to hear about your struggles to conceive. There are white babies available but the waiting lists are long (and sometimes closed). If you are willing to wait for a white child, contact Procare, they will help you further. All of the best.

Good day I am a 42 year old black married woman with a stable job who has an 11 year old son and my husband is 49 years. I have had 4 miscarriages and have been told that I will not conceive due to medical reasons. I would like to adopt a little baby girl 0 – 1 years (race not an issue) and I reside in Johannesburg. Is it possible to give me reputable social workers. We have been married for 12 years and we still have so much love to give.

Hello Grace, that is wonderful. Please let me know where you are located (in which city) and I will put you in touch with a social worker who can assist you with the process. Thank you for your willingness to love one of these precious little lives and all the best with your journey!

hi, i have a friend who is two months now preg, doesn’t want to keep the baby, the father tells her to abort it. please if anyone want to adopt this child because the mother is willing to give the baby to someone at least let me know.

Hi Ritta, your friend would need to go to an adoption social worker or agency and sign consent for someone to adopt her baby, it cannot be done privately or without her involvement. If she is willing to speak to a social worker, I will put her in touch with someone who will help. Thanks for being such a good friend.

Hi Amelia, I unfortunately do not know of any agencies or social workers in Lesotho but getting in touch with a local social worker who specialises in adoptions would be your next step. That social worker will screen and approve you for an adoption and help you to find the right child for you. If you do not succeed in finding a social worker, please let me know and I will try to find a someone who can help you. All the best.

Hi Phuti, my sincere apologies, I was certain I had responded to this question. Yes you absolutely can adopt as a single woman. Unfortunately, you are unlikely to be able to adopt a newborn though (biological moms have 60 days to change their mind about the adoption so the earliest you can have a baby is about 3 months). I hope that you have pursued this and if not, that you will go ahead at some point…adoption is a great gift.

Hi there,
My husband and I would like to adopt my husband’s younger sister so as to ensure she can finish her schooling as my husband never had the chance. His mother took him out of school before he could complete his matric. We are worried she might do the same to his younger sister. How can we adopt her?

Hi Sache, my sincere apologies, I seem to have missed your comment when you made it. How wonderful that you are willing to give your sister in law this opportunity. The two key issues are will your mother in law sign consent to the adoption and does your husband’s younger sister want to be adopted? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, please approach a social worker who specialises in family adoptions and she will help you through the process. I hope that you are successful and that your sister in law finishes her studies. All the best.

I have been looking for adoptiop pls help me,I can’t have children on my own,am not earn so much,m working as librarian assistance,but God gave me so much love 4 children that I cannot have one.my partner n I have been doing same rearsech please help me,I from North West Pronvince

Hi Selinah, I am so sorry for not responding to this comment, I seem to have missed it when it was first posted. Your earning is not an issue, the Children’s Act specifies that income is not an issue provided you can support a child. I have finally managed to track down some social workers in the North West Province. They are SAVF in Potchefstroom: Savf.potch@telkomsa.net; SAVF in Zeerust: savfzst@webmail.co.za and SAVF in Delareyville: savfdly@gmail.com I wish you all of the very best with this process.

Hi Robyn thank you for all the info and advice in your article. My husband and I have been married for 8 years and have not been able to have a baby of our own. We have both decided we want to adopt and have a family of our own. Could you please help me find a social worker/agency that could help us start the adoption process. We are situated in Mokopane, Limpopo. Thank you in advance.

Hi Zani, my apologies for the delay in responding, to be honest, I am struggling to find a social worker in your area. My suggestion would therefore be that you either contact child welfare and ask if they have a local branch. Or alternatively, I can put you in touch with a Gauteng based social worker who may be willing to travel. Please let me know if that is an option and in the mean time, I will keep looking and let you know if find anyone.

Hi Robyn, we started looking and got in contact with a company in Gauteng. They referred us to a social worker in Bela-Bela which is just an hour away from us. We did phone them to try and get an appointment, we are just waiting for them to get back to us with an appointment. If I can’t come right I will let you know. Thank you for all your help I appreciate it.

So lovely to hear that you want to adopt Johnita. Your first step is to contact an adoption social worker or agency. There are a number of excellent ones in the Western cape including Procare, ABBA adoptions and number of private adoptions social workers who come highly recommended. Please let me know if you would like any contact details. All the best with your journey!

Thank you for this informative website. I’m a 29 year old single female that would love to become involved with foster care for unwanted babies. I went for an interview at a care centre but it’s more than an hours drive from my home. I live in Roodepoort. I was afraid to commit due to the distance between work, home and the centre. Are you able to assist me to a closer care centre? I would also like to start the adoption proses. I’m open for a mixed race baby. I know it’s a quick proses and that’s why I would like to start. Due to health reasons I will not be able to carry my own pregnancy. It’s been my calling and soul purpose to be a mother. Thx again for your blog. Kind regards Magdeleen

Hi Magdeleen, I have the name of a wonderful social worker in your area who can help with the adoption process (and I’m certain direct you to a care centre where you can assist). Please mail me on robyn@becomingamom.co.za if you would like her name and contact details. All the best Magdeleen, I really hope that you will be able to fulfill this amazing calling.

Myself and my husband would like to have a child but we both have medical reasons why we cannot get pregnant.We would like to know what is the changes to adopt a white baby boy not older then 2 weeks he can be younger. Im 35 and my husband are 43. And the reason we want a boy is because we want the baby have my father in law name so that the family name can go on

Hi Sharen, I am so sorry to hear about your struggle to have children and to have missed this question first time around. Two quick concerns about what you are hoping for. Firstly, finding a white baby boy may be difficult, specifically because of your ages (even those agencies that do place white babies sometimes specify the age of adoptive parents). Secondly, babies are not placed at birth in South Africa because of the 60 day cool off period for birth mothers (social workers don’t want to expose you to the heartache of a birth mother changing her mind). It isn’t hopeless so please go ahead and contact an agency and see if you can get on their list but please do understand that this may be challenging. I wish you all of the best.

Hello my husband and I are UK citizenns ooking to adopt from South Africa. This is where my father is from and where most of my fathers family live. I am of infian origin and my husband is from the carribean. We would like some advice please on how we go about the process.
Thank you very much. Anisha

Hi Bongani, thanks for getting in touch and how wonderful that you want to adopt. Your first step is to get in touch with a social worker / agency. Fortunately, there are loads of excellent ones in Johannesburg (including Impilo which is in the North East suburbs). You can find them online but please let me know if you need contact details for them (or any other social workers / agencies and I will mail them to you). All the best and please let me know how it goes!

Hi Anisha, my sincere apologies, I was certain I had responded to this query. If you are in the UK, you can only adopt through an accredited agency and the UK central authority. The specific agency accredited for the UK is Durban Child Welfare. Please contact them on director@childwelfaredurban.org.za or +27 31 312 9313. I hope that you have some success and wish you all the best with this wonderful process.

What a fist class writing. You make up a good writer, especially about the most significant topic. Robyn come to my rescue here, Im a consulting practitoner in a Private Hospital in KZN, we have an urgent case for adoption. We would like to know how much should a prospective adoptive parent prepare for the process. Is there a need to worry about the child’s biological mother’s whereabouts before the adoption process cease. I have an idea that the matter will end up in court for Children’s Court Inquiry, will the child’s biological mother be insisted to attend the children’s court inquiry? Please contact me not latter than tommorrow, will appreciate any form of response via my email address.

Hi ,since childhood I dreamed of having Rainbow Family(different Races) chinese Boy ,Indian Girl and White boy ,now im 30years old Single 5th year Medical Student BLack by race ,So i wanna start now with the applications n stuff since this process takes Long , im asking if is possible to adopt 3kids while m Single ,even if not at the same tyme all of them?? Im having MegaLove for kidz n wud realy love to accomplish this Rainbow adoption …where do I start ,will they allow me since im still a 5th year student??? Im a South African… Tnx

Wow Eunice, what a wonderful heart and vision you have 🙂 Good news and bad news in response to your question. The good news first. Yes you can adopt as a single person and provided you are able to take care of your children financially (something to consider as a student) and emotionally, they will probably allow you to adopt three (although it is unlikely that they will be at the same time unless they are twins or triplets). The bad news is that unless you are approached by a birth mom who wants you to raise her child, it is probably not going to be a rainbow family 🙁 Our government has very strict rules about placing children with same race parents. Only if those cannot be found will they allow someone of another race to adopt (the lack of same race adoptive parents is the only reason why people of other races get to adopt black children for example). But don’t be discouraged, there are huge numbers of children in need of parents and I trust that you will be an amazing mom to one or more of them. To get started, please contact a local adoption social worker, she will complete your screening and help you meet your child!

Dear Haseena,
Thanks for your message and my sincere apologies for only replying now. Your first step is to find an adoption social worker in your area. You can use the following lookup to do so: http://www.adoption.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=44 Please search on your area, social worker and national adoption. Please let me know if you need any additional assistance and I will do my best to help.
All the best with this process.

Hello me and my wife have been married for almost eleven years,im 38 and she’s 36 from the vaal triangle and both work so we would love to adopt a new born baby as we had misscarriages and we have been trying to fall pregnant ever since. It will be a great pleasure to be assisted with process.
thank you.

Dear Thabo, I am so sorry to hear about your miscarriages and sorry for taking so long to get back to you, it has taken me ages to find a list of social workers who can help. The only places I can find are the Suid Afrikaanse Vrouefederasie: Vanderbijlpark. You can reach them on admin@savfvaal.co.za or yolandie@savfvaal.co.za. or Marlize Holtzhausen who is in Sasolburg. You can reach her on marlizeholtzhausen@telkomsa.net All the best.

Me and my Husband are looking at adoption. We are based in Gauteng and would love to adopt a White baby. We are very new to this, if someone can please provide me with advice on what to do or where to go to. Someone to speak to and give us more advice and info on how to go forward.

Hi Natasha,
Thanks for your message. Your first step is to find an adoption social worker in your area. As you may be aware, adopting a white child is quite difficult (there are sadly very few babies available). Procare (which is an adoption agency that has social workers in the Western Cape and Gauteng) may be able to assist you though. My suggestion is that you get in contact and ask them about next steps.
Please let me know if you need any additional assistance and I will do my best to help.
All the best with this process.

My partner and I are about to get married and he would like to adopt my sons from my first marriage, with their fathers consent given. What is the process and how long will it take more or less. We are pressed for time because my partner got a job in Saudi Arabia and in order for the children to benefit from the family package being offered they need to be on his name before we can join him there, and of course the whole relocation process from a paperwork point of view will be a lot less complicated too. Some advise would be great!

Hi my name is Vinodha and I’m from Phoenix Durban and really interested in adopting a baby as I’m unable to have 1 due to being religiously married to a person of the same sex,please can you refer me to a social worker that can help me.

Hi Vinodha, so happy to hear that you are thinking about adopting. Two options in Durban are Thams Pather on tpather@telkomsa.net or Glenda Munsamy. Alternatively, you can contact Child Welfare which I believe has a very good adoption section in Durban. All the best with this process!

Hi Pride, wonderful news that you want to adopt. Your first step is to find an adoption social worker in your area. You can use the following lookup to do so: http://www.adoption.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=44 Please search on your area, social worker and national adoption. Please let me know if you need any additional assistance and I will do my best to help.
All the best with this process.

Hey Robyn,
Your article is very helpful, thank you! I can’t have kids but my husband and I really want to start a family and are thinking of adopting. I have to say I am very scared of the whole process. Is it possible for you to contact me, or me contact you just to talk? I have some questions and would really appreciate if I can talk to you personally, if possible? Thanks!

Hi Amie,
As you would have seen from my article, adopting a white baby is a bit harder than a black child, simply because there are so few babies available. You best option is to contact Procare who do place white babies, or a private social worker. On the plus side, you are still very young so you should be eligible to adopt.
All the best with the process.

Hi there,
my ex fiance and I were trying to conceive for a whole year, unfortunately we parted way while we were trying for a baby, Lord knows how I cried every time I went on my periods… I am a newly single 23 year old who still yearns for a baby, Kids are so special to me as I’m also part of Reach for a dream NGO, I just moved to JHB from Durban and desperately need assistance regarding adopting a baby, I have had counselling with my pastor and as young as I am, I’m ready. I need to know What is the qualifying criteria for adopting? Do I need to be earning a specific amount of money, Do I need to be living in my own house, Do I need to be a certain age?, and lastly would I be able to adopt in Gauteng although I am not from here? 🙂

Hi Wendy,
Some good news to start with, geography is not an issue, nor is finance (provided you have enough money to take care of a child and a safe place to live) and you can adopt as a single person. According to the law you have to be 18 plus to adopt but many agencies require you to be at least 25 (but even so not long to wait). You can however approach some agencies and see what they require in terms of age, then they can screen you and let you know if they have any concerns. Let me know whereabouts in Gauteng you live (a broad area will be fine) and I will put you in touch with a social worker who should be able to help.
All the best,
Robyn

Hi Raisibe, my sincere apologies for not responding to this query sooner. I don’t know of any social workers in Cosmo City but there are loads of wonderful social workers in Johannesburg. You can either try Johannesburg Child Welfare on director@jhbchildwelfare.org.za or Susan Wasserman on wassermans@mweb.co.za. All the best with this wonderful process.

My name is selinah am 27 years old. please assist me with the process of adoption,i have been following website searching for kids i can adopt, i want a black baby 1 to 3 years old. hope in God will get some answer by giving me a child. please help

Hi Selinah, your first step is to contact an adoption social worker in your area who will screen you and match you to a child. It is wonderful that you want to adopt a slightly older child, I’m certain God will answer your prayers and give you a child. Every blessing.

Hi Alberto, please forgive me for answering in English, my written Afrikaans isn’t good. As I have mentioned, it is quite difficult to adopt a white baby. You can join a list at a registered adoption agency such as Procare or ABBA. You may need to wait for a while but it is possible. I wish you all the best with your process.

My husband just suggested that we adopt a baby girl, after we have been trying to have our own for 6 years with no success. We both have kids from previous relationships so, it was a bit emotional for me, I felt like I failed my marriage. However, the more I think about it, I can’t stop imagining the joy she will bring us, I imagine myself in baby shops after so many years. The excitement is beginning to rise. We are eager to give hope to a suitable child.

Hi Sibongile, delighted that you and your husband want to adopt. I will mail you some options in terms of social workers. The costs will depend on what type of social worker you choose. The private social workers tend to charge based on time but some are very reasonable. Or you can use an agency that will adapt the costs to your means. Once you begin the process, the social worker will talk you through the process and what forms you need (the screening process is really easy and your social worker will guide you through the entire process).
All the best,
Robyn

Hi Lerato, unfortunately, we cannot adopt a child at birth in South Africa because birth mothers have 60 days to change their minds about consenting to the adoption. But, you can adopt a very small girl (two to three months old). Your first step is to get in touch with a good adoption social worker who will be able to screen and match you to a child.

Hi Robyn.
Thank You so much for the wonderful article. I am turning 22 and my husband 31 this year,this will be our second year to be married and we love each other dearly,but we would love a house full of toys and messy bedrooms while playing with our children,unfortunately we do not have children of our own yet,and since I can remember I want to adopt and my husband is fully supporting me. We have love for dogs but that does not comfort us,we want to have children. I am currently a house wife/student and my husband is a fitter/turner,we are financially stable to provide for our self and for more than 2 children,we would love to have 4 children,but for now we would like to adopt 1 baby or twins preferably Colored/Indian age 0-3. But we will settle with any race because we have a diverse family background. My husband is colored/indian and I am colored/white/black. We need assistance on how to start with the process and we are willing to be patient because we are still trusting God for a blessing to become pregnant but yet we will continue with adoption as well. Thank You Robin

Hi Jamie Leigh, good to be in touch and wonderful to hear that you are considering adoption. The first step is to find a good adoption social worker or agency so if you let me know where you stay (province and broad area will do) I can direct you to someone who can assist. In terms of your requirements, Indian babies are quite scarce but given your heritage, a Coloured baby may be an option (and you will certainly be able to adopt a black child). Your age requirements are also realistic (generally children are placed between 6 months and 1 year but in certain cases, babies as young as two or three months are also placed). I wish you all of the best with this wonderful journey and hope that I can assist you further. Every blessing, Robyn

Hi There Again Robyn.
I will appreciate your assistance. We are situated in the Western Cape Overberg Province. We will even foster a baby until we can adopt. We did have a mommy that wanted us to adopt a month ago (a baby girl,she’s 6 months old)but she was diagnose with postpartum depression and will be able to make a decision after her medical stuff but she is living with family now that assist and help(so I believe she will keep the baby since she has support of family members and a loving home). Anyway Robyn we are willing to adopt trough social development as well but do not know what to do. Like i said we are willing to go for any race because we want a diverse family.

Hi Jamieleigh, my sincere apologies for the delay in responding, somehow I missed this comment when you posted it. The Western Cape has an abundance of wonderful social workers. You could try Procare, Wandisa or ABBA. I have also heard high praise for private social workers, one being Wilna Malherbe. Alternatively, try Cape Town child welfare on 021 638 3127. All the best X

Hi Hazel, single parents are able to adopt and your age should not be a factor. Given that you are in Cape Town, you can either contact Procare or ABBA adoptions, they should be able to assist you. All the best!

Hi Hazel, according to the law in South Africa, there is no requirement for you to have a partner to adopt, in fact the biggest group of adopters in this country are single women. Please let me know if you need assistance with getting in touch with a social worker. Alternatively, you can make contact with Procare or ABBA, they are both excellent agencies with offices in Cape Town. All the best, Robyn

This is a very sore subject for me… My husband and I who have been together since 2009 and married for 4 years have lost 2 babies in the last 4 years. I have not conceived since my last pregnancy 3 years ago – over the years I have had surgery to try repair the damage in order to conceive, this has failed.

Yesterday my Gynae finally broke it to me that I will not be able to conceive naturally due to medical reasons. He has referred me to an IVF specialist, however the cost of IVF is something very expensive which we cannot afford right now. My husband and I have kept our mind open regarding adoption for the last 3 years since we were told about my chances of naturally conceiving.

I have read through your blog, and already know that it will be difficult to adopt a white/coloured baby, and it can be done through Procare, however we live in KZN, would they still be able to assist me, or do you have contacts for us in KZN – more specifically Durban.

I read somewhere that adopting from Russia is a possibility, however wouldn’t that be more expensive?

We are both Christians and are very involved with our church and youth ministry – we both blessed to have jobs.

Hi Cassandra, I am so sorry to hear about your painful journey with infertility and the accompanying loss. But, I am grateful to hear that you are hopeful of still being parents, even if you are unable to have one biologically. Unfortunately, I cannot answer your question about Procare, it may be best to contact them directly. Your best bet if you are in KZN is to get in touch with The Adoption Companion: http://www.peaceagency.org.za/adoption-support/adoption-companion who may be able to assist you with some contacts. One point that I can speak to is your question about adopting a Russian child. South Africa is classified as a “sending nation” in other words, we have so many children in need of adoption that we do not have treaties with other countries to adopt their children (the exception is India but I believe that you have to have Indian heritage in order to explore that option). So, honestly, you would need to focus on adopting a South African child.

Hope that helps but please let me know if I can assist further. Take care and all the best with this journey, Robyn

Hi Nontuthuzelo, thanks for your question and sorry to hear about your struggles but good to know that you are considering adoption. Please start by contacting Johannesburg Child Welfare, they will be able to assist you with screening: http://jhbchildwelfare.co.za/contact-us/ Unfortunately, it is unusual to adopt a child at birth (birth mothers have 60 days from signing consent to change their minds so children are not placed before they are a minimum of two months old). However, you may be able to adopt a very small baby.

Hi Pauline, your first step is to find a good adoption social worker in your area. If you need assistance with finding one, please visit http://www.adoption.org.za and check on the “Find professionals” tab and look for an adoption social worker in your location. Alternatively, let me know where you are based geographically and I will do my best to put you in touch with someone who can help. All the best, Robyn

Hi Linea, it is possible to adopt as a single parent in South Africa. Your difficulty may be related to not being a South African citizen (unfortunately, we do not have a treaty with Namibia) so your best bet is to obtain permanent residency here. But, a colleague suggested that you double check with the Department of Social Development. You can contact Lindiwe Mazibuko at DSD lindiwem@dsd.gov.za

Hi Carike, my apologies for the delay in getting back to you. The cost depends on your earnings and whether you use a subsidised agency or not. If the agency is subsidised or you use Child Welfare, they will generally base their costs on your income (typical costs in this case can be anything between R2000 and R20 000). However, unsubsidised agencies generally charge a standard rate (which may be up to R40 000) which includes the cost of taking care of the baby’s birth mother. Private social workers (who are also unsubsidised) usually charge an hourly rate which means that the more complicated and lengthy the process is, the more it will cost. If you would like to be put in touch with any of those agencies, please let me know.

Hi Sentle, my sincere apologies for the delay in responding, I was not able to answer your question until today. I have however consulted a colleague who knows more than I do about the law and this was her response: “Yes most certainly! We did a same sex adoption where one partner was + just some extra medical checks and letter from his specialist and there was no problem. Constitutionally a person cannot be turned down based on HIV status, as long as it’s well managed and the person has a decent life expectancy”. If you would like more information, you can contact her, her name is Ruth and you can reach her at http://www.peaceagency.org.za/adoption-support/adoption-companion

Hi Fransje, as with all adoptions the first step is to find an adoption social worker who can assist. You will then need to be screened and the social worker will complete the necessary paperwork for the adoption. Please let me know if you need a social worker to help or find one in your locality on adoption.org.za All the best!

Hi Eunice, wonderful that you want to adopt a child, especially a slightly older one, there are many such children in need of families. Please let me know where you are based geographically and I can put you in touch with a suitable social worker. Alternatively visit adoption.org.za and use the lookup function to find someone who can help you. All the best with this wonderful journey.

Good morning.My son and his girlfriend has two kids 3year old and 2 year old.Now she is pregnant again.Not one of them are working and they struggle to look after this two kids.She is 8 weeks pregnant.If they want to adpopt the child what must they do and who can they go to.They stay in Germiston Gauteng.There race are white.Please can somebody help.Waiting for your answer.Thanks

Hi Ryno, first step is to find a suitable adoption social worker to help you through the screening process. Please visit adoption.org.za and use the lookup function to find someone in your area. All the best.

Thank you for an enlightening article. I am in my late 40’s and wish to adopt a 10-12 year old girl. Is it possible to adopt an older child?
I am single with a grown-up son whom I raised.
I live in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs.

Hi Thandi, yes you definitely can adopt an older child and in fact, if you are in your late 40s, many social workers would suggest it. Please will you send me a mail (use the contact me page) and I will send you some wonderful options for social workers in your area. All the best with this amazing process.

Hi Rajashree, thanks for getting in touch. My suggestion is that you get in touch with the Adoption Companion: http://www.peaceagency.org.za/adoption-support/adoption-companion They are based in KZN and can make suggestions about possible options. Please be aware that adopting a newborn is difficult in South Africa (because birth mothers are given a 60 day cooling off period to change their minds about adoption) so many social workers will not place a child until the 60 days have passed. You are probably also aware that there are very few Indian babies available for adoption. But if you are willing to wait and to persevere, you may be successful. All the best with this process.

Thanks for getting in touch Sasha. Firstly just to say that it is really important for your niece to agree to placing her child for adoption. Her father cannot force her to make the decision and you may encounter some problems down the line if she is not committed to the decision. But yes, you can certainly adopt the child if she does consent. You need to make an appointment with an accredited adoption social worker who will counsel both parties, screen you for adoption and complete the legalities. You can find a suitable one on adoption.org.za or let me know were you are based and I will put you in touch with someone suitable. All the best with this process.

Hi Thuli, thanks for getting in touch. Unfortunately, your situation may be quite complicated when it comes to adoption. The key is either to complete a national adoption here in South Africa which would require your husband to have permanent residency, or to do an intercountry adoption in the Middle East. If you are able to find an agency that is able to do intercountry adoptions from your country of residence in the Middle East, that may actually be the easiest option (provided you spend enough time in that country). I suggest that you investigate that option or consider relocating back to SA for long enough for your husband to obtain permanent residency. All the best and feel free to get in touch again if I can assist you further.

Hi Salvador, wonderful news that you want to adopt. First step is to connect with an adoption social worker who can assist you. Please consult adoption.org.za to find a suitable social worker or let me know where you are based and I will point you to someone suitable. All of the best!

My daughter is 23yrs old, still living with myself and my fiance. She has a son who is 13 months old. The baby’s father left her whilst she was still pregnant and has never been a part of the child’s life. My daughter has for a long time now, felt that she is not ready to be a mother and has agreed to let us adopt my grandson whom we love as our own. Please advise how we would go about legally adopting him.

Hello Mandy, thanks for getting in touch. To adopt your grand child, you would need to work through an adoption social worker who would screen you to be adoptive parents and help you with the legalities of obtaining an adoption order (as well as counselling you about some of the challenges you may face adopting a family member). You can either find an accredited social worker on adoption.org.za or let me know where you are based and I will find you someone suitable. All the best with this wonderful choice you have made.

Hello Mologadi, I am sorry to hear about your challenges but delighted that you are considering adoption. Your first step is to make contact with an accredited adoption social worker in your area. You can either find one using the lookup function on adoption.org.za or let me know where you are based geographically and I will see if I can find one for you. All the best.

Hi Cindy, I am so sorry for your long struggle to have a baby but delighted that you are considering adoption. Please let me know if you need any assistance with the process or with finding an adoption social worker who can assist you. All the best.

Me and hubby have been on our social workers adoption list for 7 years. When we started she told us we are 2nd on her list for a white baby and the waiting period would not be more than 5 years. Every time we chat with her she keeps on telling we must start looking at a time limit and no white children are available in the country. Is this a normal waiting period?

Hi Michelle, oh I am so sorry, how painful for you. This is a really tough one for me to answer because I have no personal experience with same race adoptions. But, I do know that they take time and have been told that about 8 years is average. Having said that, there are people who suggest that you start to look elsewhere (as in approach another social worker) if you have been waiting this long (there are other social workers who seem to be able to find and place white babies quicker). But, I hesitate to advise it because you may end up waiting longer that way. I think it may be wise to do as she suggests and set a cut off point that you feel comfortable with when you will re-evaluate (either to find another social worker or change your parameters). I wish I could be more encouraging, all I can say is that I have heard miraculous stories about those who have waited and finally been blessed with a child and equally about those that have made brave decisions to re-evaluate their criteria and have now got the child they so desperately wanted. I so hope that this is your experience. Please let me know if I can assist further.

Thank you so much for your info and process of adoption in S.A. Qiute informative and so well written. Thanks a bunch! I am considering adoption. I am a South African natonal living abroad. Will check the govt site you mentioned.

Good afternoon. My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for more than ten years in vain. We are in our mid forties, live in Durban and are both working. Is there any non profit adoption agency that you can refer us to or recommend?. We would prefer a new born baby but 0-6 months is also fine. We have a lot of love and care to give and we would relish a chance to adopt a child soon.

Hello Eliza, I am so sorry to hear about your struggles to have a child but so happy that you are considering adoption. In terms of your requirement, the law states that a birth mother can have 60 days to change her mind about adoption and if the child is abandoned, social workers must take 90 days to locate the birth parents. As a result, most agencies do not place new borns. However, you could certainly be matched with a child under 6 months (my daughter was five months old when she came home). In terms of your options, I have been told that Child Welfare is excellent in your area so it may be worth approaching them. Alternatively, visit the Adoption Companion Website. Ruth who runs it is best placed to direct you to the right resource in your area: http://www.peaceagency.org.za/adoption-support/adoption-companion

My husband will love to adopt my son. He has been the father my son know from birth, as his biological father disappeared in our lives when i was 3 months pregnant. My son is now 13. What is the procedure? Secondly my Cousin/ best friend and her husband passed away and we are guardians to their 13 year old boy whose been living with us for 4 years now. We will also love to adopt him. What is the procedure?

Hi Sammie, in both cases, you would need to work through an adoption social worker who will guide you through the process. From what I understand, the process is almost identical to an adoption process where the child is unknown but with the obvious caveat that there is no matching process to be completed. The only thing to note is that because of their ages, the children would need to consent. Hopefully, it should be relatively straight forward but I will leave it to an expert to talk you through next steps. Please let me know if you need guidance about a social worker in your area. All the best.

Very informative and enlightening!
Thank you for taking the time to respond to so many questions. Your work is selfless and I pray that God continues to strengthen you in your resolve to help unite desperate potential parents with the children that he destined them to have and be blessed with!

Helo I’m Sibongile my husband and I we want to adopt a two – three months baby if it’s possible , we have four miscarriages Can you please recommend the right social worker we stay in Benoni W even if it’s in johannesburg thanks in advance

Hello Sibongile, I am so sorry to hear about your miscarriages, how heartbreaking for you and your husband. But, I am delighted to hear that you are considering adoption. There are some excellent options in Johannesburg, the closest of which would be Impilo Child Protection and Adoption Agency. You can reach them on 011 640 1343 or visit their website for more information: http://www.impilo.org.za/ If you are not comfortable with them as an option please let me know and I will mail you details of private social workers too. I sincerely hope that adoption finally gives you the baby you are longing for. All of the best!

Hi Anzel, sorry for the delay in responding but we seem to have a dearth of excellent social workers in your area. Two options that I did find through are ABBA adoptions: 082 783 3374 or Christian Social Services: Mpumalanga (Christelike Maatskaplike Raad): 013 243 4776. Alternatively, you could consider using a Johannesburg based social worker and travelling (also a possibility and there are some excellent options if you choose this approach). Please let me know if you decide on that option and I will put you in touch with those social workers. All the best with the process X

Me and my husband want to adopt a child.I have 5 years trying to conceive and now I feel is the good time to adopt a black child boy or girl.am married to Reverend in congregational church .I have 16 years old boy.

Hi Kelebogile, I am so sorry that you haven’t been able to conceive but delighted that you want to adopt. Your first step is to find a qualified and accredited adoption social worker to assist you. You can either find one using the lookup function on http://www.adoption.org.za or let me know where you are based and I will see if I can find you someone wonderful to assist you. All the best with this amazing journey.

Hi Robyn, my husband and I have not been able to have children but would like to adopt a white child of 3/4 years or older. We tried fostering but our hearts were broken due to the mother wanting her child back and we were very badly hurt in the process. Please can you refer us to a committed social worker in sandton, johannesburg that can help with toddler adoptions. We have a lot of love to give but would really like to work with a sure thing this time even if it takes a lot of time.

Hi Suzie, I am so sorry to hear about your loss and understand your caution (and endorse it, this can be a very painful process if things don’t work out). I know two social workers in Gauteng who can assist you with same race adoptions (Lettie van den Berg and Susan Wasserman). Please let me know if you would like their contact details. All the best, I sincerely hope that you will be successful this time.

Hi Maryka, the duration of the process depends on a few key factors, specifically, how skilled your social worker is, how much you specify about the type of child you are looking for (white, Indian and even Coloured or mixed race children take far longer to find than black children for example, and infants are more in demand than older children. So the more specific you are, the longer you should expect the process to be), and how proactive you are with fulfilling the screening criteria and getting the paperwork done. Typically though, screening should take about 4 months, matching can happen very quickly (a few weeks) but could take up to 8 years (for a white or Indian same race adoption). The time taken for the adoption order, name change and unabridged birth certificate also varies hugely from months to years. The good news about the latter processes though is that your child is already yours so most parents I know will live and fight through any or all delays because they are fighting for their child. Hope that helps!

Dear Robyn
Thanks so muh for this clear and informative article! My husband, two kids and I are based in PMB, KZN. Do you please have any contacts of any reliable social workers, places of safety and/or agencies in can contact?
We’re in the early stages of adoption 🙂
Love Jen

Hi Susan, your first step is to contact and adoption social worker who will manage the process for you and help protect you, the birth mother and the child. She will be able to guide you re the process, the screening and how the birth mother can legally place her child for adoption and in your care. You can use www/adoption.org.za to find an appropriate resource in your area or let me know where you are based and I can direct you to the right resource. All the best.

Hi.my name is mirriam.I live in orange farm.I’m a 40 years old single woman living with my family,currently unemployed but hoping to find a job soon.I want to adopt a baby.i was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 2 years ago.can you estimate how much will I need & I want to know if it’s possible for me to adopt a baby?

Hi Mirriam, that is wonderful news. The adoption social worker will ask you for a medical assessment to determine if you are healthy enough to adopt a child and if your cancer is in remission and you are well, it should not hinder the adoption process (they would just want to check that you wouldn’t be too unwell to take care of your child). Your single status and the fact that you are unemployed should not be a factor provided you can care for the child. The cost will depend on who you use for the adoption. Agencies can usually tailor the costs to your circumstances whereas some private social workers are not able to. My suggestion is that you start by contacting Johannesburg Child Welfare and see if they can assist: http://jhbchildwelfare.co.za/ and ask about costs. All the best with the process and with your health and search for work.

Hi, I have been staying with my god-daughter since her mother died more than 10 years ago. However, I did not adopt her legally and unfortunately she is turning 19 in August this year. What would be the process to follow, since I want to adopt her now even if I know it is late. What must I do?

Hi Mahlodi, that is wonderful. I stand under correction but I don’t think that there would be an age cut off for adoption (provided your god-daughter consents). My suggestion is that you contact a local adoption social worker and ask for guidance and assistance. You can use http://www.adoption.org.za to find someone in your area or let me know if I can assist. All the best!

Thank you so much for taking the time and care to put this page together.
We have been married for 6.6yrs without kids and last year were invited unexpectedly into a possible adoption scenario. We discovered parts of what you describe as we stumbled along…including the requirement for “Infertility Counseling” and “proof of trying fertility treatment”. Some months later, we concluded our unsuccessful chapter on fertility treatment and mourned it.
We thought we had closed the book on having kids.
However, a hormone disruption in me caused us to think that we might be lregna t after all for 3 months. Alas…not so.
But suddenly we are both more enthusiastic and realistic abt the idea of adopting.
This page was very useful indeed.
Bless you and your new family 🙂

Hi Leani.
I have been working through some older comments and came across yours and wanted to say how grateful I am to you for sharing your story and for the feedback.I hope that you have the family that you are dreaming of. Every blessing 🙂

Good day, I was wonder if it is possible to adopt a white toddler. My husband and I have been married for 13 years and have been unable to have a child of our own. We are prepared to take a child up to the age of 3.

Hi Shireen, thanks for your question. As I mentioned in the article, it is very hard to find white children for adoption (unfortunately, there are not many adoptive children available and in many cases, the biological mother will not sign consent for adoption). Fostering may be an option but if you are only keen to pursue a same-race adoption, your first step is to contact an adoption social worker in your area (adoption.org.za is a great resource for finding one) to determine if you are eligible and if their waiting list is open (some remain closed because of the scarcity of children). Sorry I can’t be more encouraging but if you do decide to go ahead, I wish you all of the very best.

Hi Maritza, my apologies for the delay in responding. First step is to find an adoption social worker in your area. I have asked some PE families who they recommend and the name that has been mentioned most frequently is Linda van Zyl (please let me know if you would like her contact details). She will then assist you through the screening process and match you to a baby. If you would like to join a support group in PE, there is an amazing one called Family Ties. They have a website: http://www.familyties.org.za
Every first Tuesday they have a Parent Connection Group Evening with adoptive parents and for people interested in adoption so that may be something wonderful to do to find out more information. All the best with your process X

I am glad to come across this adoption platform, i will be glad if i can get respond to my question. I’m 20yrs old living in South Africa with my brother. but his girlfriend want to adopted me she is south Africa citizen white woman 45yrs old she want to adopted me because of my brother financial unstable I’m footballer Can she adopted me and what is requirement that need ? I’m from West Africa hopeful i can get respond soon
thank

I am glad to come across this adoption platform, i will be glad if i can get respond to my question. I’m 20yrs old living in South Africa with my brother. but his girlfriend want to adopted me she is south Africa citizen white woman 45yrs old she want to adopted me because of my brother financial unstable I’m footballer Can she adopted me and what is requirement that need ? I’m from West Africa hopeful i can get respond soon
thank

Hi Noah, thanks for your comment and for getting in touch. Given the fact that you are not a South African citizen, it would be best to speak to a social worker specialising in intercountry adoptions who may be able to assist you. If you let me know which city you are located in, I will do my best to point you to someone who can help.

Sorry for the delay in responding, I have been waiting for an updated list. Try Annemarie Van Dyk at avandyk@futurenet.co.za or Christian Social Services: Kzncmd@ngkzn.co.za or (T) 033 342 7900. All the best.

I read your story and am getting really xcited and scared at the same time. I am a British national living in UK and together with my hubby would like to adopt my step sister’s baby. she is currently pregnant due may next year. Would you have any advice for us? I WoUldale really appreciate any help coz I have no idea where to start. My sister is based in South Africa

Hi Letty, in terms of the Hague Convention, you would need to work with the South African agency tasked with intercountry adoptions in South Africa. I believe that for the UK that is Child Welfare Durban and Districts (director@childwelfaredurban.org.za or +27 31 312 9313). Or you could contact the UK central authority who would be responsible for handling the process on your side. You would need to be screened for adoption in the UK and then the adoption would be finalised through the agency in South Africa. You would need to come here for the adoption order and change of name and issuing of new birth certificate before you can return to the UK. Per our law, you would not be able to finalise the adoption until your sister had completed her 60 day cooling off period. Please let me know if I can assist further and all of the very best with the process.

Hi, My husband and I was introduced to a little 3 year old boy through friends, at the end of April 2016. We can not have our own children. My husband did not want to adopt at first, but when he met this little guy he just fell in love and wanted to care for him. We stay in the Brits area, and spent our weekends driving to Benoni to visit him. I completed all documents required to Foster with the view to adopt (as we were told to do with CMR in Brits). I am still waiting for them to make some sort of contact with us, as I am unable to speak to anybody about our case. The lady in charge of the little boy in Benoni, was aware of our interest but chose to move him to another foster home, even though the lady at the safe house have offered to foster him until a disision can be made in our favor. The little boy is child number 6, his mother sees him once a month for about 20 mins, she is on drugs, and I doubt that she is going to make a change to her life with child number 6.
Why is it that the abusive mother have more rights than the child, who could be given a brighter future, when the mother wanted to sell him. Why does she get to make the choices for this little boys life. Is it her right to mess up someones life just because she gave birth to him?
Is there anything we can do?

Oh Corlea, that is heartbreaking. I wish I could reassure you but sadly, in most of these cases, the mother does not sign consent and social workers very rarely go to court to terminate parental rights. This may be why the social worker chose to place him elsewhere (because he is unlikely to become adoptable). In cases like this one, usually the best one can hope for is a long term foster care placement. It isn’t first prize but certainly better than him living without a family. If your hearts can handle it then maybe that is the approach you should take. I wish you all the best, you are all in my thoughts and prayers, especially that precious little boy.

Hi Shaida, I am delighted to hear that you are keen to adopt. I am not familiar with any adoption social workers in Valhalla but there are loads of wonderful ones in Pretoria. Two of the best are ABBA and Procare. You can find their contact details on http://www.adoption.org.za or google them, they both have user friendly websites. All the best with this wonderful, life transforming process!

Hi, my husband and I are really keen to adopt. Do both of us need to be permanent residents before we can adopt or will just one of us be ok? I can’t find any information with regards to this on the Internet and I wondered if you had any insight. Thanks so much 🙂

HI Jessica, sadly, the answer is that you both need to be permanent residents. It isn’t surprising that you can’t find that answer on the internet though, there has been some confusion about this issue. The Children’s Act specifies that you both have to be permanent residents in order to be listed on RACAP (the register for adoptable children and parents), but non-permanent residents who had been in the country for more than five years (or had been in a relationship with a South African citizen for more than five years) were still adopting (usually because they had a prior relationship with the child, often through foster care). However, last year the Department of Social Development issued a directive saying that only South African citizens and permanent residents can adopt.It is really controversial and may be contested (because of the many people in the process of adopting who don’t have PR) but if you haven’t started the process yet, it is probably safest to both get your PR first. I hope that you are able to do so and that you can go ahead and adopt, it is the most amazing gift. All the best X PS for more information (sorry, it isn’t a very encouraging article), you can read: http://becomingamom.co.za/fearing-the-foreigner-when-child-protection-and-institutionalised-xenophobia-collide/

Thank you so so so much. This is the clearest and most helpful information I have found. I so appreciate your help. Even though the news is not good news, at least I don’t have a false hope that I will be able to adopt any time soon. It will be a few years before my husband gets permanent residency but now we can at least emotionally prepare ourselves for a longer wait. Thank you.

Hi thank you for this wonderful info, im married we interested in adopting, we both black South Africans, im working in Saudi at the moment, comes home for vacations, i like to find out if its possible to start the process while im in Saudi or meet with agencies and social workers on my vacation, then on the late stage i can come back home as the process takes almost up to a year, thanx in advance.

Hi Elaine, I am so sorry, for some reason I missed this comment completely when it was posted. In terms of adopting outside of South Africa, you can only adopt in a country that has an adoption treaty with South Africa and I am not sure if Saudi Arabia is one of those countries (sadly, I don’t think it is). If not, you would need to adopt here in South Africa and to do so, you would need to be based here permanently again. If you are planning to come home, what you can do is make contact with an adoption agency now and ask them to screen you in anticipation of your move home. If that is an option, please let me know and I will put you in touch with a social worker / agency that can assist. All the best!

Me and my fiance we are looking for a child that we will adopt .we have try to make are own children but we failed so we need help to get the child that we will love and give him or her all the best love we have for children

I am so sorry to hear about your difficulties having children Deltha, but wonderful that you want to adopt. If you let me know where you are based geographically, I can put you in touch with a social worker who can assist you to be matched to a child that will be able to benefit from that love and love you in return. All the best!

Hi my husband and I really want to adopt a baby from any race preferably between a new born to 3 years I work for the South African Police Service and my husband reasonly started working for an engineering company. I have three kids and we really want a baby in our marriage. Unfortunately I can’t have anymore kids because I had to remove my womb due to health reasons. Is it possible for us to adopt. We both don’t drink and dedicated our life’s to Christ

Hi Geraldine, the answer is yes, it is definitely possible for you to adopt. According to the Children’s Act, age, number of children and financial status are not in any way considerations, the only factors that they consider are related to your ability to provide a secure and loving family for an adopted child. Please let me know if I can direct you to a social worker in your area who can assist you with this amazing, life changing process. Every blessing.

Im a 32yrs old female living with my partner and would to know how can.I go forward with adopting.we both have jobs and tried alot of things on.how to get a child however it didnt work
Kindly assist
Shihaam

Hello Shihaam, thanks for getting in touch. The answer is yes, you can certainly adopt. Your first step is to choose an adoption social worker to assist you. To do so, you need to think through a number of key questions regarding any specifications that you have about an adopted child (the key considerations are race, age, gender, health and if you would like a child that is consented for adoption or if you are willing to take an abandoned child). Once you have made those decisions, you can choose an agency most able to assist you. Please consult http://www.adoption.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=44 for assistance with choosing a professional or let me know if I can assist you further. All the best!

I’m 26 White female with 2 young children, I have heard what is happening in SA to the whites people and would love to adopt 2 white children to raise with my own, I make good money and own a house of my own, my husband passed 4 yrs ago but i have lots of help form his family if needed, is is possible I would qualify to adopt?

Hello Carol, thanks for your message. It sounds like you have a kind heart. Unfortunately though, there are very few white babies available for adoption in South Africa, and those that are tend to be placed with local childless couples. If you are committed to adoption and would consider a baby of a different race then your next step would be to contact an adoption social worker accredited to do adoptions in South Africa who would be able to direct you to an agency that can assist you. All the best.

Please can you advise me. My niece wants to give her baby to me as she and her husband cannot afford to look after the baby financially. The baby is due in March 2017. Do I still need to follow the whole adoption process. She asked me to take the baby from the hospital.

Hi Laaiqa, the short answer is yes, you do need to still follow the adoption process, with some small exceptions. You would still need to contract the services of an adoption worker so that you could be screened and approved for adoption. You would then await the baby’s birth and depending on how you feel, you can either take the baby at birth and risk that the mom changes her mind during the 60 days she has to withdraw consent or, you could place baby with a kanga mom for those 60 days. Once the consent period is completed, your social worker will apply for an adoption order and thereafter you would go through the process of getting baby’s name changed and getting a new unabridged birth certificate. Please let me know if I can assist further. All the best!

morning i would like to adopt a baby boy, who is less that a year of age. i would like to adopt an indian if not a coloured child. i have a stable job and a stable home and am 29 turning 30 this march am single and i live with my mother. please assist as to where and how procedure work. thank you.

Hi Boitumelo, I am delighted to hear that you want to adopt. You would certainly be able to adopt a baby boy and your status as single will not affect the adoption process at all. However it is extremely difficult to adopt Indian babies and although there are Coloured babies available, the wait if often very lengthy so please bare that in mind when you decide on the race of the child you want. First step is then to contact an adoption social worker who will screen you and match you to a suitable child. You can find a social worker on http://www.adoption.org.za or let me know where you are based and I am happy to recommend someone if I can. All the best with this wonderful process!

Hi Sophy, I am so sorry to hear about your fertility struggles but you should still be eligible to adopt (neither your age nor your single status should be a factor). First step is to find an adoption social worker in your area. Please consult http://www.adoption.org.za or let me know where you are based and I will let you know if I can recommend someone suitable. Hope it goes well!

Hi Shane, wonderful to hear that you are keen to adopt. The first step is always to find a suitable adoption social worker (you would choose one based on where you are located and other factors, for example, if you are keen on a same race child, that will limit your options in terms of social workers who can help). If you let me know where you are based geographically and if you do have any parameters in terms of your adoption, I can certainly try to help you find someone suitable to assist with the process. All the best.

Hi Litha, there are loads of wonderful options in your area: Lettie van den Berg, Susan Wasserman or ABBA, Procare, Impilo or even Joburg Child Welfare. Your choice will depend on cost and any specific requirements you may have. You can find them all on adoption.org.za or on their specific websites. But, feel free to get in touch if you would like contact details. All the best with this wonderful process.

Hi, My name is Kim.My husband & I are married for 13 years & It will be 10 years in May 2017 that I had a miscarriage. We’ve now decided to adopt a baby Indian boy or girl probably from 2 years old. We live in Durban. Please can you assist.

Hi Kim, I am so sorry to hear about your fertility struggles. Unfortunately, as you are probably aware, there are not many Indian babies available for adoption. But, if you are Indian family, it may be possible to get on to a waiting list. Contact Thams Pather on tpather@telkomsa.net and hopefully she will be able to assist you. I wish you all of the very best with this process.

Hi Robyn,
Thank you so much for the informative article. I am a single 46yr old white male. I am looking to adopt a 3-5yr little white girl as I have always longed to have one. Could you assist in directing me to the right people in the Kempton Park area please.
I would like to start talking to people to find out the process and costs involved and time period it might take.
Many thanks

Hi Gideon, how wonderful that you want to adopt. Unfortunately, there are very few white children available and they tend to be placed with infertile childless couples. However, if you were willing to change your requirements about race, you would very likely be successful. Please let me know if you would like to proceed and I will help you to find someone who will assist you. All the best.

Hi Alisa, I hope that this is a legitimate offer but even if so, you would need to go through an agency in the US that specialises in intercountry adoptions with South Africa. You would need to be cleared in the US and here in South Africa and obtain approval from the Central Authority in South Africa responsible for implementing the Hague Convention. Once you had been cleared, you would be able to meet the child (who would be placed in temporary safe care until such time as the adoption has been approved). My counsel though is that you make 100% sure that everything is legitimate before you embark on this long and costly process. All the best with whatever you decide.

Hi Tania, my sincere apologies for the delay in responding (I seem to have missed this message when you first posted). I have a wonderful social worker based in Roodepoort. Her name is Susan Wasserman and if you message me privately, I will send you her contact details. I hope that it goes wonderfully well! 🙂

Myself and husband have already adopted but would like to adopt another baby, we were in the process of adopting a 2nd baby when he was offered a job abroad, we decided not to go ahead with adoption as we needed to pack up and leave. What is the process to adopt a South African baby while working and living abroad, we really would love to adopt another child but heard that it’s not easy to do that while abroad . We don’t mind traveling back home to do the legal paperwork? Please help.

Hi Glynis, thanks for your message and my apologies for the delay in responding. This is quite a complex process as you may imagine. Your first step is to establish if the country where you are residing has a treaty with South Africa and if so, what agency has a working relationship with South Africa. Once you have found a suitable agency, you would need to be screened in your country of residence and here in SA. Once you are approved, the local SA agency will match you to a child and then the approval will go to the South African Central Authority and the Central Authority of your country of origin. Finally, the Department of Social Development will need to approve the match, at which point, you would be able to meet your child. You would need to come to South Africa to fetch your child and make arrangements to stay in SA until the adoption order has been issued. It is complex but I hope that if you embark on the process, it will be a wonderful and joyful journey for you. All of the best with your decision and the process if you go ahead!

Hello Stella, if you would like to adopt, your first step is to find an agency or social worker in your area who will help you with the process. If you let me know where you are located, I will help to put you in touch with someone who can help. All the best.

We are just looking into adoption and had a question about health. Are full medical records of the family ( If known) and child given before adoption? Are potential siblings able to take part in the process? And, is fostering a child to ensure fit possible? We are looking for a 2-5 year old. Thank you!

Hi Sheridan, the answer is that you will always get as much information as the social worker has available. Wherever possible, they will obtain medical records and any other important information about the family. But, it isn’t always available and you need to decide whether it is a non-negotiable for you. Social workers will involve your children in an age appropriate way. In terms of the last question, foster care is always an option but social workers are reluctant to place children for a “try out” (it is potentially destructive to the child and also to you and your existing children). With an older child, they will instead suggest visitation so you can have a courtship period with the child before you commit to a permanent relationship. All the best with this process.

My husband and I are interested in adoption. We believe we can offer a child a stable and loving living environment. All the other agencies have turned us away as we would like to stick to our race and culture. I can not believe there are no white children to adopt as these circumstances do not keep creed, colour or race. As it stands there are milions of abandoned and orphaned children. We realise that this is a huge responsibility and are in it for the long haul, it is not a responsibility we take lightly, therefore we should be able to adopt whomever we wish. Trust me, we are the type of people you wish to come across.

Dear Shelley, thanks for your message and your enthusiasm about adoption. Unfortunately, the agencies are speaking truthfully about the scarcity of white children. If you are not willing to change your parameters about what kind of child you would like to adopt, then my suggestion is that you continue to try the agencies. They have openings from time to time, and at the right time may be able to add you to the list. I wish you all the best in your mission.

Hi robin I’m 27 coloured female from south africa my husband is 50 from UK we would like to adopt to girls as he’s age is a risk of having kids age 8 and 10 we financially stable can you tell me how a I go about I’m from Durban.thanks

Hi Marise, the most important question for now is does your husband have permanent residency here in South Africa? I ask because without it, it is far more challenging to adopt. My suggestion is that if he does have permanent residency, you should contact Child Welfare in Durban. They are able to perform national adoptions and also intercountry adoptions in the UK in the event that you choose to adopt out of the UK instead of here in South Africa. If he doesn’t have his PR, please let me know and I will see if anyone else can assist you. All the best X

Hi Kelly, lovely that you want to adopt. Unfortunately, you probably would not be able to adopt a South Africa child. You need to reside in a country with an adoption treaty with South Africa. England does have such a treaty but to my knowledge, Spain does not. You may however be able to adopt a child from another country so it is definitely worth investigating. I hope that if you pursue this option, you are able to find the right person or agency to help. All the best!

Hi Belinda, wonderful news that you would like to adopt. Your first step is to find a social worker accredited to perform adoptions who works is based in your area. Your social worker will then screen you for adoption and advise you about matching and placement. Please let me know if you need any help finding the right social worker. All the best with this wonderful journey! 🙂

Thanks for your comment Sebastian and yes, it can be difficult. But three years is very long unless you have been very specific about race. If so, I hope that they will find you the perfect child soon. If not, and you are pursuing a transracial adoption, please let me know, there may be ways for you to expedite the process.

Oh Shianne, I am so sorry for your loss. That is heartbreaking. My advice is that you begin with grief counselling and give yourself time to grieve the loss of your baby. But, if you are still keen to adopt thereafter, I will do absolutely everything I can to assist you. Sending loads of love X

Hello– my family is very interested in adopting a baby. We do beleive that taking care of a baby in an orphanage is not enough. We would like to have him home so He/she can feel home and grown up like a normal kid. Yet, our country would not let us give him our passport, so the kid has to keep his passport. Is it possible in saouth africa? does the kid will be able to keep his south african passport? or else, we will struggle with his papars. Hats off for your descision and I wish you best of luck. May Allah bless her and you.

Hi Mohamed, you can certainly adopt in South Africa if you are based in South Africa and are a South African citizen or permanent resident or if you are in a country that South Africa has a sending treaty with. If you are in South Africa, I can assist by putting you in touch with a social worker. If not, you would need to find an agency in your country that works with intercountry adoptions from South Africa. Please let me know if I can assist further.

Hi Claudette, there are Indian babies to adopt but not a large number so if you are Indian, a South African citizen or permanent resident, and are keen on a same race adoption, you would need to be willing to join a waiting list. If you are interested in proceeding and eligible, and would like my assistance, please let me know where you are based and I will put you in contact with a social worker who can assist. All the best.

Hi. My name is Meryl.
I am a 35 year old Indian female.
Like many other stories, after having a son 17 years ago, I have been unable to have another child since.
This has caused a breakdown in my marriage.
I love children. I have so much love and patience for children. Right now, I’m just the favorite aunty.
I am a business owner, financially stable and I can provide a living an stable home for a child.
I would like to find out if I could be eligible to adopt. I need assistance with this as I dont even know how to begin.
Please help…..

Hi Meryl, my sincere apologies for the delay in replying. I am truly sorry to hear about your struggle with infertility and the break down of your marriage but the good news is that yes, you can adopt. You need to find an adoption social worker in your area who can assist (I can direct you if you need help or you can check http://www.adoption.org.za). Please note that you may have some difficulty joining a list for a same race adoption so please consider if you would be willing to adopt transracially. If so, you should find the process quite simple. All the best with this wonderful life-affirming process.

Hi Preshnee, thanks for your message. There are Indian babies to adopt but not a large number so you would need to be willing to join a waiting list. If you are interested in proceeding and would like my assistance, please let me know where you are based and I will put you in contact with a social worker who can assist. All the best.

Hi!
My husband and have been married for 3years,we do would like to adopt a new born baby either a boy or girl even twins,we are from another country but staying in Rustenburg. What can we do adopt a baby,we love kids so my much so due to our both fertility problem we want to adopt and Gonna give them love.

Hi Mampho, I am so sorry to hear about your fertility problems but adoption is certainly an option for you if you are permanent residents in this country (if not, you would need to obtain permanent residency before beginning the adoption process). I unfortunately don’t have any contacts in Rustenburg but if you visit http://www.adoption.org.za and search on North West Province, you will find some option including ABBA and Child Welfare. Just a note about new borns. Our law permits birth mothers 60 days to change their mind about consent so the earliest a child can be placed is at 2 months old although 4-6 months is more typical. I wish you all the best with this amazing process. All the best!

Hi Amanda, adopting a white baby is possible in South Africa but there are very few babies available so if you are eligible to adopt, you would need to join a waiting list. Procare and ABBA and some private social workers handle same race adoptions. Visit http://www.adoption.org.za to get contact details or let me know where you are based and I will put you in touch with the right people.

Hi myself and my husband are married now for 8 years and we are both 30 years dont have any children of our own and we have been considering adoption for more that 3 years now, we both have good jobs and love kids we want one of our own by adopting. hope to get feed back and names of social worked please. thank you in advance

Hi Rushda, wonderful that you have given this so much consideration. The best way to find a social worker is to visit http://www.adoption.org.za and search for a social worker for a national adoption (or let me know where you are based and I can assist). Alternatively, try Procare, ABBA or Child Welfare, they have social workers in most of the major provinces. I wish you all the best with the process.

Hi Lizzy, I don’t have any specific contacts in your area unfortunately, but if you visit http://www.adoption.org.za and look for social workers for a national adoption in Limpopo province you will find some options, including ABBA and Umephi. All the best with finding the right social worker and with this amazing process.

I really do want to adopt a white baby girl. As a black woman I have been first in almost all the good things in my family. e.g. the first to operate a computer, first to be on a flight to international places and the first to take my kids to oversea (Paris) There are lots of white aborden kids that need love and care and think I will be the right parent.

Hi Ellah, thanks for getting in touch and for your desire to adopt. You would certainly be able to adopt but unfortunately, not a white child. The reason is that social workers always try to place children in same race families first. It is only if they cannot find a same race match that they look for families of other races to adopt. Given that there are very few white children available and loads of families waiting, it is unlikely that you would get to the top of that list. That is the negative but the positive is that there are huge numbers of black children desperate for loving families and you could adopt a black child quickly and relatively easily. Please may I therefore ask you to reconsider your choice of race, I am certain that there is a beautiful baby girl just waiting for a loving mommy like you. All the best!

Yes it is Gledness. Your marital status has no impact on adoption (provided you can financially support a child on your own) and there are large numbers of single moms who have adopted. What you can’t do is adopt a newborn. Birth mothers have 60 days to change their mind about consent so social workers are usually not willing to place a child until the 60 days is completed. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Hi. My wife and I are South African citizens living in the UK and would love to adopt a baby from South Africa. Does the inter country process still apply to us even though we have South African citizenship?

Hi Yaz, my sincere apologies for the delay in replying. Yes, you would still need to complete an intercountry adoption (it is based on location not citizenship). Your first step is to approach an agency in the UK that works with intercountry adoptions from South Africa and they do the screening and the home visits. Once you are approved, they contact their partner agency in SA and match you to a child. Your final step is to obtain approval from both the South African Central Authority and the UK one. If you would like to chat to anyone who has been through the process, please let me know, I know of three UK couples who have adopted recently who could talk you through what to expect and what to do. All the best.

Hi Mary, my sincere apologies for the delay in getting back to you but I didn’t know the answer to your question. I have however done some research and believe that provided you are on medication and stable, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be approved to adopt. Please let me know if I can put you in touch with a social worker in your area. All the best!

Hi Colette, sorry for only getting back to you now. The waiting period depends on your specifications. If you are white or Indian and would like a same race child, it can take up to 10 years. But if you are black or open to a same race adoption, the waiting period could be as little as three months (again, depending on the age and gender of the child you specify and if you would like a consented adoption or are willing to adopt an abandoned child). There is no normal but I would say that nine months for screening and waiting is fair but be prepared for more or less. Hope that helps.

My husband and I have been married gor 8 years now and struggling to convince on pur own. So we decided to adopt as we both have lots of love to give and want to give a little one in need a chance on a good life and bright future. Is there any social workers in the west rand that will be able to assist us?

Hi Katherine, my apologies for the late response. I am so sorry to hear about your fertility issues. There are no age constraints re adoption in South Africa but you do need to be based in South Africa and a permanent resident. Alternatively, I believe that Australia has a treaty with South Africa so you need to find an agency that can process adoptions in South Africa and ask them about next steps. All the best.

I was adopted in 1982 via the ‘Durban Adoption Agency’ and need to urgently get in touch with the same agency. I received a devastating call yesterday that my biological mother had suddenly passed away and I am the only family she has left…

I need to get the paperwork from this agency so I can prove our relationship. Once I am able to do this I will be able to put her body to rest.

Oh Bronwyn, I am so sorry for your loss. How painful. I can’t assist in any way and I fear that it is way too late now, but I am publishing your message in the event that someone else can help. Take care.

Good day.
I am interested in a sibling adoption if possible. I am open to age 13 and younger. Is this possible as a single parent? If so, where do you reccomend I begin to inquire or start the procesd? Thank You!

Hi Megan, my apologies for the late response. Yes, you can definitely ask for a sibling adoption. You may need to be open to foster care resulting in adoption. As with all adoptions, race is an issue so if you are white or Indian and want a same race adoption, it is always harder (even with older children, in fact white older children often end up staying in care because their birth mother won’t consent to an adoption). Your status as a single parent is however not a factor. In terms of where to begin, you need to approach an adoption social worker to screen you for adoption (as with other adoptions) and when she asks for your preferences re adoption, let her know that you are keen on siblings and willing to adopt an older child. All the best.

Hi there.
My husband and I are keen on adopting a baby. We are situated in Rustenburg North West. Can you please forward me details on a social worker and adoption agency in Rustenburg.
Hearty Thanks
Kind regards
Nanzeen

Hi Nazneen, my sincere apologies for the delay in responding. Child Welfare has a branch in Rustenburg and they could assist. Alternatively, contact ABBA adoption agency. All the best with this process.

Good Day,
As a happily married couple we tried everything
We called several numbers in South Africa for
different ways to have a baby.
We ready to bring up our baby with Lots love,respect,independent God fear child.
I know nothing is impossible by God.
As we Google search everywhere,no luck.
But with tears rolling I really need help.
As we failed with our own baby.
We so ready to adopt.
Please help us.
Much Appreciated.

Hi Sandra, I am so sorry to hear about your painful journey. If you let me know where you are based in South Africa, I can assist you with a social worker. Alternatively, visit adoption.org.za and you can find details for someone in your area. All the best.

Hi Roseline, delighted that you want to adopt. You can contact Child Welfare in Port Shepstone, their website is http://www.pschildwelfare.org.za/ Or if you would prefer a private social worker, please mail me on robyn@becomingamom.co.za and I will send you some contact details. All the best!

Hi Prasanna,
It is possible for you to adopt. However, given that you already have children, it would be unlikely that you would make it onto a list for an Indian baby and unfortunately, there are so few white children available for adoption that social workers place them with same race families unless these is an existing relationship. If you were open to adopting a black child however, you would have lots of options. If so and if you need further assistance, please let me know.

Hi Robyn, thank you for such an informative post. My husband and I are considering adoption. We are both professionals and in our mid-30s and unable to conceive naturally and been through fertility treatment. I am South African and he has permanent residency. We are based in Gauteng. We are open to any race for adoption, however we are particularly interested in helping a university student who is unable to support their baby and would be willing to give up their baby to adoption. Is having such a criteria unusual in adoption?

Hi Sam, thanks for your message. It is a bit unusual but not unreasonable. It is always worth considering that any specific criteria (in this case, a consented adoption and specifications about a birth mom), will make the process longer but if you are okay with that, you can definitely make that request. Do you have an adoption social worker in mind? If not, you could consider Susan Wasserman, Lettie van den Berg or ABBA. Any of these may be able to assist. Please let me know if I can assist further. All the best.

Hi Robyn
My wife and I are considering adoption. We have been through numerous rounds of IVF but up to now that has been unsuccessful. Can you please guide us in the right direction on who to contact in Durban.
Many Thanks
Angela

Hi Angela, my sincere apologies for the delay in replying. I am so sorry to hear about your IVF failures, but happy to hear that you are looking to adopt. Child Welfare in Durban is an excellent resource for adoptions in the province. Please contact them and see if you can work with them. If not, feel free to let me know and I can give you a list of private social workers who can also assist. I wish you and your wife all the best with this amazing journey.

Hi Miranda, having biological children will not affect your eligibility to adopt. Please look on http://www.adoption.org.za for an adoption social worker in your area who can assist or feel free to contact me again and let me know where you live so I can put you in touch with someone who can assist. All the best with this process.

I’m a 33 year old female married to my husband who’s 40 years old. We’re married for 7 years and due to medical reasons I cannot conceive. The latest development being that I’ve had to have a total hysterectomy making it impossible to even try! We both love kids and my sisters 3 kids are my life. We’re looking to adopt a little Indian baby and I do know Indian babies are quite difficult to come across regarding adoption.
Please can you direct me to the proper channels for this. I’m unemployed and my husband is self employed.
We live in Randburg but even if there are agencies in Kzn that can assist we will gladly travel so as to fulfil this hearts desire.
Thank you for your insightful article!

Hi Claudine, I am so sorry to hear about your health challenges but delighted to hear that you are thinking about becoming adoptive parents. In terms of your question, there are agencies and private social workers in South Africa that can assist with a same race adoption of an Indian child (if you are of Indian descent. If not, it may be harder because there are so few Indian babies available and they are generally placed with same race families first). I believe that some private social workers like Susan Wasserman and Lettie van den Berg may be able to assist you in Johannesburg. You could also try the Catholic Women’s League, a friend of mine has three adopted Indian children and they handled all three adoptions. I hope that this helps. If you would prefer to try Durban, you can also try Tams Panther, she handles same race adoptions in the province. All the best.

Hi Thandeka, thanks for your question. Yes, it is possible for you to adopt, provided you are on medication and your health is stable. If you want to pursue this further and need help, please let me know. All the best.

Myself and my wife have been in the system for 4years and have not had any luck with adoption. The only reply we get from the child welfare is that they dont have anything as yet. If there is anyway to speed this process I would really love to know. Really need assistance. Thank you

Hi Sebastian, that is a very long wait. Has your social worker told you why it has been so long? If you are waiting for a same race baby, then it does sometimes take years but if you are willing to adopt transracially, the process and wait shouldn’t take more than about a year. If this is a transracial adoption, please let me know, you may need to think about using another agency or a private social worker. If however this is a same race adoption then unfortunately, there is not much you can do to speed up the process because there are so few children in the system. My only suggestion is that you keep waiting, your little one will be well worth the wait when she or he arrives.